Tourism and hospitality businesses across the county are being encouraged to enter the 2026 Visit Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent Tourism Awards competition.
Organised by the region’s accredited tourist board the Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP), the awards are the area’s largest celebration of tourism and hospitality and has prizes up for grabs in 20 categories accommodation, attractions, experiences and food and beverage, as well as cross-sector categories relating to accessibility and sustainability.
They include New Tourism Business of the Year, Unsung Hero of the Year, Pub of the Year, Self Catering Accommodation of the Year, and Food & Drink Retailer/Farm Shop of the Year.
Free online workshops are being held in July to find out more about the competition and get advice on how to create winning awards applications.
Winners will go forward to the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2026. This year, two of the regional winners went on to win national accolades in the competition with Keele University Events & Conferencing being crowned England’s Business Events Venue of the Year and World of Wedgwood picking up Silver in the International Tourism Award.
Martin Murray, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economy and Skills at Staffordshire County Council, said: “After our amazing success at the recent VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, where two Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent businesses were recognised, we’re excited to launch our 2026 awards competition which has seen year-on-year growth and is set to be the best yet
“Not only is it a key business support programme, seeing businesses gain valuable feedback from industry experts and great PR and promotion, but it’s also an opportunity for Staffordshire businesses to recognise the hard work of their teams. It is only through their efforts that they can qualify for the national awards.”
The awards – now in their 12th year – are in partnership with VisitEngland and the University of Staffordshire, which is the headline sponsor of the event.
They were previously known as the Enjoy Staffordshire Tourism & Good Food Awards.
The competition is free to enter for any tourism or hospitality business located in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
All applications must be submitted online before midnight on Monday, 1 September 2025.
Details of all the categories, registration for the webinars/workshops and how to apply can be found here.
Winners will be announced at a black-tie celebration dinner and awards ceremony in March 2026.
- Read the Daily Focus report following this year’s awards ceremony here.
